“Compassion is power” – Women Liberal Leaders

Why are female political leaders performing better in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic compared to their male counterparts? The answer can be summarized into one word – “compassion.”

This was the conclusion of the webinar, “Women, Power and the Pandemic: A Liberal Roundtable” organized by Liberal International (LI) in close cooperation with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party, the Africa Liberal Network (ALN), the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the International Federation of the Liberal Youth (IFLRY).

Held on 4 June 2020 and broadcasted live on Facebook, the webinar brought together around three dozen liberal women from across the world, to exchange views and share experiences on how to thrive as a female politician today.

“We must not only survive the coronavirus, but we must emerge renewed by women as a powerful face at the center of recovery”, said Dr Hakime el Haite, LI President in her opening remarks. She said that women, who constitute the majority of frontline healthcare workers, should be given a seat in pandemic planning and decision-making. Citing the successes of women political leaders, including Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, she called for gender- sensitive responses that put the women’s perspective front and center in coronavirus response.

The webinar featured a panel of committed women liberal leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. CALD Individual Member Emily Lau noted that while Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam may not be a good example of female leadership during the pandemic, Asia can really be proud of Taiwanese President Tsai’s leadership, as well as of her Digital Minister Audrey Tang. Nereah Amondi of Kenya, on the other hand, shared how the pandemic brought three realizations about women to the fore: 1) women are at the frontlines both at work and at home; 2) women dominate the informal sector; and 3) women leaders have done exceptionally well in pandemic response because of empathy, clearer communication, and innovation.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s Emma Murphy raised an important question for politicians given the current health crisis: “Should I be ashamed of campaigning during the pandemic?” As a political leader, she said that she was elected to do a job, and she should continue doing it regardless of the circumstances. Finally, Claudine Kishkek of Jordan highlighted the role of social media in drawing attention to women’s issues, and also in providing an “agency to make our voices heard.”

While the pandemic has put a spotlight on effective and compassionate women political leaders, the panelists and participants agreed that on other fronts, particularly addressing domestic violence, much more needs to be done.

“Though I say that women have long smashed the glass ceiling, alas, until today, the shadow of that glass ceiling remains… and it remains as a threat to persecute and silence women…” said moderator Jayanthi Balaguru of International Network of Liberal Women (INLW) and CALD Women’s Caucus. “It continues to be an obstacle and a challenge to women who want their voices heard and who aspire for gender equality and elimination of discrimination in all forms in society. Thus, our work together continues.”